On Tuesday night, the pilot of a small plane sat on the runway of Catalina Island’s “airport in the sky” with four passengers on board and a decision to make. Take off into the looming darkness, relying primarily on the plane’s instruments, or play it safe and wait until the morning?

A Beechcraft 95-B55 Baron crashed shortly after takeoff from the Catalina Airport, killing all five on board. The pilot was a local flight instructor who volunteered to pick up occupants stranded at the airport after a mechanical issue on their plane.

Five people lost their lives in a plane crash on California’s Catalina Islands after the aircraft took off without clearance from the airport. The twin-engine Beechcraft 95 crashed shortly after takeoff around 8 p.

Five people were killed in a plane crash on California’s Catalina Islands after the small aircraft took off from the airport without clearance. The twin-engine Beechcraft 95 crashed just after takeoff around 8 p.